Gultekin Cakmakci
Professor of Science Education
B.Sc. (Ankara), M.A. (York), Ph.D (Leeds), Postdoctoral Research (Stanford University, 2011-2012)

Hacettepe University
Faculty of Education, Department of Science Education, 06800, Ankara, Turkiye
E-mail: gultekincakmakci@gmail.com

Gultekin Cakmakci received his BSc. Degree in Chemical Engineering from Ankara University. After working as a Chemical Engineer in the industry for about a year, he decided to become a researcher and changed his career path. He earned his master's degree in Science Education from the University of York, UK, and PhD in Science Education from the University of Leeds, UK. He earned a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to carry out his research at Stanford University in 2011-2012.

He is a Professor of Science Education at Hacettepe University and has been teaching courses on STEM education and public engagement with STEM since 2006. His research interests focus on design thinking, engineering education, developing scientific literacy among students and the general public, and designing, implementing, and evaluating STEM instruction. He has been involved in several national and international projects, such as European Commission Horizon Europe , H2020 , FP7, and Erasmus+ projects. He, among others, has developed the Turkish Science Curriculum, which was implemented in Turkiye between 2017 and 2023.

Gultekin Cakmakci has been elected alife member of the PCST Network. PCST awards honorary life membership of the network to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the international science communication community. He served as a board member ofthe "European Science EducationResearch Association (ESERA)" from 2021 to 2023, and is a board member of the “Journal of Research in STEM Education,” and director of the "STEM & Makers Fest/Expo”, "STEM PD", and “Hacettepe STEM & Makers Lab.” He served asthe Deputy Chair of the Research & Innovation Coordination Board at Hacettepe University from 2023 to 2025.